


Look In The Mirror

by sharkyclarky



Category: Being Human (UK), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dreams, Ghosts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-17 00:47:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5847376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharkyclarky/pseuds/sharkyclarky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What did you see?" "I saw myself." "Just yourself?" "Is that not enough?" <br/>After a visit to her family, Alex decides to take her two best friends for a walk along the hillsides of Scotland, only things aren't how she remembers them. It seems there is more to this world than Alex ever thought and ghosts of many different forms. <br/>What happens when the trinity find the Mirror of Erised. What do they see?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Look In The Mirror

May 2nd 2012

The sun was hardly shining, barely bleeding through the clouds as the trio walked across the vast hillsides of Scotland. It was May now, only two months since Annie passed over, taking baby Eve with her.

"So, they really couldn't see me?" A woman asked, looking dejectedly at her booted feet as she walked. She was, in a word, beautiful, but in her own way. Her dark brown hair was cut short, swooping across her forehead like waves of chocolate, her dark eyes still lined with black makeup. Her skin was pale, almost white, her lips a painted pink.

She didn't leave an imprint on this world, not a scent from her very rarely used perfume, not the sound of her leather jacket as the material rubbed against its self, nor a footprint from her clunky, black boots. She was almost completely invisible.

But there were those who still saw her, such as the man with the dark hair and  the hazel eyes far too old for his face that walked beside her, hands in his pockets, a thirst for something so inhuman tugging at his self-control. And the man who was really a boy, with his close cut hair and innocent eyes, running ahead in his vest and shorts, pointing out flowers and other plants he'd learnt about. The boy who was, after all, raised by wolves.

"Not at all, not even a hint?" she asked again, her Scottish accent lilting at her words as she looked to the man beside her, hoping for some form of help, some comfort.

"No, I'm afraid they couldn't. They're too human." He replied, his voice well spoken and clear, each word perfectly pronounced.

"But all that bullshit with Paranormal activity and Grave encounters, are you sure they saw nothing. Maybe if we went back?" she said hopefully, but the man looked at her pleadingly, wishing he didn't have to see her like this, so broken and so lost, all because of him.

"Alex, I'm sorry, but it wont happen." She sighed, landing unceremoniously on the grassy floor with a huff, planting her face in her hands with her knees to her chest. She was quickly joined by Tom, the innocent one of the group. Hal, however, just stood awkwardly above them, his hands twitching in and out of fists as he debated sitting on the undoubtedly unhygienic floor. "They still love you." He added in a failed attempt to comfort her.

"But they've started getting better without me." She said, looking up at Hal with teary eyes. "They're talking about me in the past tense, and I'm still here!"

"S'all right, Alex." The boy said, Hal wincing at his way of speaking. "Ya still go us."

"I DON'T WANT YOU!" she shouted, jumping to her feet so fast that Hal jumped back slightly. "I want to taste food again, and someone's kiss, ya know?" she said to the two boys, both of whom were watching her cautiously, afraid she was going to explode. "I want to have sex and have a hang over, and I want to take of these _fucking boots_!" she screamed, her voice echoing around hill side, her anguish scaring away several birds in a nearby forest.

"Why – umm – shall we keep going?" Hal asked when the silence became too much. Alex, despite the tears running down her face, nodded, following bleakly after Hal as he began once again walking the country side, Tom running on ahead. "Alex, I understand you're hurting-"

"Oh, really?" she said sarcastically, cutting him off as she wiped her face. "What ever gave you that idea?"

"-but I want you to know that I understand your turmoil and if there is anything I could do to help." He said, leaving the offer hanging in the air.

"No." Alex said to him. "I think you've done enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hal asked, incredulous. "I didn't kill you."

"I never actually said you killed me." She said furiously. "But you weren't exactly and innocent bystander in all this though, were you?"

But before Hal could respond, they heard Tom's voice echoing through the air as he jumped up and down, waving his arms like someone dragged out to sea.

"Guys! Come look what I found!" with one sparing glance at Hal, Alex rent-a-ghosted over to Tom, landing beside him and making him jump.

"What've you found?" she asked, watching as he pointed out over the top of the hills.

"Over there. Ya see it?" he asked excitedly, pointing to what looked like a massive scrap yard in the distance made up of rubble and stone.

"Yeah, but what is it?" she asked, squinting out to the distance.

"It's a castle." Hal said, suddenly beside the duo, moving in the subtle silent way he often did. "The ruins of one at least."

"But there aren't any castles out here, I used to have days out with mum and the boys, and there has never been a castle." She said, crossing her arms over her chest, still brooding about her explosion.

"Well clearly there is one, Alex." Hal replied. "It is literally staring us in the face."

"I'm telling you, there has never been a castle here before. I know these hills inside and out, and there are no castles." She challenged, and Hal opened his mouth to retort, but Tom cut him off.

"Forget arguing. Let go 'ave a look." He said, setting off at a run down the hill. Alex cast a look at Hal whose face was perplexed as it stared at the ruins before she rent-a-ghosted.

She appeared in what she thought must have been a courtyard. It was square in shape with broken and mossy cobble-stones for a floor. There were pillars, most of them broken and smashed so they were half her height, the remnants of a roof and tiles lying in shambles around them and the shattered remains of what must have been a circular fountain. At the one edge there was a stone bridge, most of it broken away. At the other side were a set of dilapidated stairs leading to a higher level, a part of which was roofed.

Alex was no history boff, but what she could tell was what ever had happened here had been brutal and happened a long time ago. The stone was already aged, turning green in some places and overgrown with ivy and other plants.

"That just aint fair." Tom said, panting heavily when he and Hal came to a stop beside Alex. Tom was clutching his side, looking curiously at his surroundings; Hal however had his face screwed in concentration. "I bet this place is proper ancient." He said, nudging a piece of loose rock with his trainer as Alex nodded in agreement.

"No." Hal said, still looking around.

"Care to elaborate, Sherlock?" Alex said, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not ancient, well the building is. I've seen ancient ruins, I've been there as some of them fell, but this - this damage is new."

"How new?" Alex asked, picking up a stray brick and weighing it in her hands.

"At least twenty years, minimum. The castle however must date back centuries" he mused. "Who knows what ghosts lurk within it's walls."

"Well, I don't know about you girls." Alex said, stretching her arms out unnecessarily, like a jogger preparing for a marathon. "But if there are ghosts here then I'm going exploring." She said and disappeared. Tom looked at Hal for a second, as though asking permission, before running up the stairs in the building. Feeling thoroughly unnerved, Hal followed at a significantly slower pace.

Upon entering the building, the first thing Hal noticed was the smell. It was thick and musty, hidden beneath plants and decay, aged long ago, but he could still smell it; blood. The walls were coated in it, masses of now brown patterns, some flaking away, smears of it on the floors, all of which were joined by crushed rubble and what appeared to be scorch marks.

He had entered what looked like, well, and entrance hall with high walls and a stone floor. There were multiple places to explore. Ahead of him was a large, extremely wide stone staircase leading to higher levels, breaking off into different dilapidated stairwells. To his left was an enormous arch, leading into an equally enormous hallway lined with benches and tables, ivy snaking through the wood, on of the tables was even broken in half. At one end of this hall lay shards of glass and different coloured jewels were spilt; red, yellow, blue and green sparkles spewed across the floor.

Either side of the staircase were passageways, one clearly collapsed in, the wall barely existent as the sun shone through the gaps in the high ceiling. The other side was dark, black even, leading off somewhere Hal felt the need to go.

"Why are they empty?" Said a voice from Hal's shoulder, making him jump. Alex stood there, pointing at the walls of the castle. Following her gaze, Hal saw hundreds of golden picture frames, some fallen to the floor and others tilted at odd angles, each one with a specific backdrop, be it safari, or a plush arm chair they all had something. Yet none of the pictures had people or anything else inside them. They were, as Alex said, empty.

"I don't know." Hal said, looking warily at the empty golden frame, regal in appearance.

"Oh, there something in that one!" She said, rent-a-ghosting towards a picture at the top of the stairs. "Looks a bit young to be in a castle." She said, tilting her head at the image. Hal joined her, looking at the black backdrop. Inside the frame as a man, no older than how Hal looked, with a cheeky glint in his blue eyes and fiery red hair. "There's one here too!" She exclaimed, jumping another few steps, coming to a stop in front of a picture frame that lay on the floor. "Now that is definitely not right." She said pointing to the picture on the floor. This one was of a woman, about Alex's age with a soft, heart-shaped face. She had short hair, only a bit longer than Alex's but the main anomaly was that her hair was bubblegum pink.

Hal only looked away for a second, but when he looked back she was gone, as was the red-head from the previous picture.

"Spooky." Alex said, wiggling her eyebrows at Hal. "Well, I'm going to see what else I can find." She said with a smile, her previous emotions clearly forgotten as she disappeared once again, leaving Hal dumbfounded and alone in the strange castle.

Following his instincts, Hal made his way towards the dark passageway in the entrance hall, following it down through the darkness. The wall had clearly been smashed away in places since there were still swaths of sunlight on the floor, thick particles of dust floating in the beams. So far, the hallway was uneventful, nothing but empty picture frames and the questionable marks on the walls. That and the overwhelming stench of very old blood, blood with none of the life left in it.

Finally, when he could no longer see where he had come in, Hal found a door. Nothing exciting, nothing ominous or frightening, just a normal wooden door that reeked of decay with a rusted handle. It was not, however, locked. Behind the door was a set of stone steps, entirely in darkness, but he could see faintly see the outlines of where the steps were. Making an effort not to touch the walls or the cobwebs, Hal descended the stairs, arriving at the entrance to a room.

Once he entered, Hal was overcome with how normal the space looked. It was spacious, large enough to be a classroom and it was empty. Well, almost empty. There were high windows, through which was shining a strange, blueish light. It was only when he saw the view sloshing slightly that Hal realised the room was under water. There were cracks in the walls, some of which oozed small doses of water, making the stench of old blood overwhelmed by that of damp rock.

The only actual object in the room was a mirror, angled in a way that the doorway was not in view. It was taller than Hal was himself, and wider too, with clawed silver feet and an arched top. Around the edge of the mirror was an engraving, but the metal was so overcome with dust it was undistinguishable. His curiosity getting the better of him, Hal stepped closer, preparing to wipe the dust from the surface when he froze.

There was a man in the mirror, a man with pale skin with a dusting of stubble along his strong jaw and dark hair that stuck up slightly as though fingers had been run through it. The man was not especially tall, but far form short, with a strong build that showed easily through his clothing. He wore smart black shoes and a dark blue polo shirt, the top button done up to his throat and tucked in the waistband of his belted trousers. The man was staring back at Hal with wide, hazel eyes, eyes he soon rerecognized, after centuries of not seeing them, as his own.

Hal knew there was something wrong the moment he stepped foot inside this place, and now he knew why. The scent of blood the ancient building with the brand new damage, the empty pictures and the moving paintings, he was dreaming. There was no other way around it. Hal had not seen his reflection in over five hundred years, it was astounding really that his mind had remembered the image. Tearing his eyes from himself for just a second, Hal read over the inscription he'd uncovered.

It read: _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi._ Hal spoke, read and wrote many languages, but this one frazzled him as much as seeing his own face. Then again, who was he to try and understand his own dreams? Still, he must have seen this language before, how else would his mind retain its image. But, in the end, the wonder was too much for the curiosity, and so he sat, crossed legged on the stone floor, not worrying about the dust or the smell of damp, or how the floor even seemed to be a little wet. This was his dream in which he could see himself, and if he was never to see his face again, he was at least going to make sure he remembered it.

And so this is how he was found nearly four hours later by Tom, who'd come bounding down the stairs loudly, yet Hal didn't budge.

"Hal?" he asked when he entered the room, seeing his friend staring at mirror. "Hal? You a'right, mate?" he asked, walking over to him. "we've been looking for ya for 'ours."

"It's just a dream, Thomas." Hal said absently from the floor, never moving his eyes. "So if I wish to be left alone you have no choice but to oblige."

"'As something 'appened?" he asked, walking towards the vampire who was sat on the floor, mesmerized by the mirror. "'Cause this ain't a dream, Hal."

"It must be." Hal said, his hands fisting at his sides. "How else would I be able to see myself?"

"If it were a dream, I wouldn't be able to do this." Tom said with a shrug, preceding to then slap Hal upside the head.

"Ow!" Hal said, but his protests were shadowed by the sound of a woman laughing.

"Do I get a go?" she asked, clapping her hands together. "I've been wanting to smack that pretty little face for months." She said excitedly, but Hal just stared at her, and then at Tom and finally at the mirror.

"So this isn't a dream?" he asked them. Alex who had obviously missed the main conversation looked at the vampire with a raised eyebrow.

"No, you donkey, it's not." She said crossing her arms. "Why'd you even think it was?"

But Hal was hardly listening; he was too busy looking at the mirror, his fingers itching to touch it, to touch where his face showed, while also wanting to punch his fist through the reflective glass, never to see himself again.

"It's just a mirror Hal." Tom said, but receiving no response proceeded to push a shocked Hal out of the way. "Tell you what, I'll 'ave a look, shall I?" he asked, looking at Hal whose face was a mask of disbelief as he stared at nothing. Tom turned facing the mirror head on, staring at his own reflection with a blank face. "See, just a bog standard, ordinary-" but he broke of, his face falling as he watched. "Annie? And baby Eve?" he said, looking at the woman who had appeared behind him in the mirror "MacNair? George, Nina!" he said, repeatedly looking over his shoulder, seeing that there was in fact no one behind him but the petrified vampire and the confused ghost. "Allison, and even Mitchell too! How come I can see them?" he asked, looking around at Hal for only a second before his eyes were dragged back to the mirror, a wide smile on his face.

His reflection was smiling; his hand gripping Allison's who smiled up at him. Annie was stood with Mitchell's arm around her, one of her slim hands resting on his shoulder as she smiled at him lovingly, cradling baby Eve in her arms. George and Nina had their arms wrapped around one another and were also smiling at Tom and Allison while MacNair stood there, proud and tall. "Alex, look!" he said, grabbing the ghosts arm "Look, that's George and Nina, there, those two, Baby Eve's parents. And this is my dad and then that's Mitchell with Baby Eve and Annie." Tom said enthusiastically, pointing to each member of his family in turn.

"Tom." She said, eyeing him skeptically. "I can't see them." She said and Tom looked at her, a puzzled look on his face.

"They're right there. Look!" he said pointing to the mirror, his hopes slowly dwindling.

"Tom, I'm tell you, I can't see anyth-" but just as Tom had, Alex broke off. As she looked in the mirror, she saw herself, but not how she was supposed to, wearing her girly green dress, leather jacket and the boots from hell. Instead when she looked she saw herself wearing a pair of green, khaki shorts and a baggy vest, her face bare of makeup and her feet wearing nothing but fluffy blue socks.

As she watched her smiling reflection she saw others come into the frame, but instead of speaking, she stared at them, silent as a mouse. She watched bemused as the broad man with a beard and a beer can in his hand walked towards her, standing next to her reflection, smiling widely. Soon they were joined by others, a tall boy with a mass of brown hair and a spelling mistake for a tattoo, two smaller boys, both wearing their school uniform, both looking at Alex like a child would a mother.

"It's my family" she said, her voice forlorn as she stared at all she had lost.

She could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks, but not the way she should be able to, not the way her reflection no doubt would be able to.

But her reflection was crying too, smiling, but still crying. Just when Alex thought she couldn't take anymore, one more person walked into the reflection. A tall man, not much older than she was, wearing a black polo-shirt tucked into his black, belted trousers, his dark hair tousled and his hazel eyes warm and open, walked towards her. He was smiling too as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, planting a soft kiss onto of her scruffy brown hair.

"Alex?" said a voice, but she couldn't hear it. She was reaching towards the mirror, hoping in some way that her skin would pass through the surface, replacing the happy, living Alex with the ghost that she was. "Alex!" the voice said again, but this time it was joined by two strong arms grabbing a hold of her. She could vaguely comprehend the sounds of someone screaming, begging to be let go.

"Let me go to them!" the voice shouted "Get off me and let me go!" it was a moment or more before she realised the voice was in fact her own.

"Alex, please." Said the voice as she sagged against them, not feeling any heat from their body, not feeling anything at all. "It's just a trick." Hal said, holding onto her tightly.

"What did you see?" she asked, watching as Hal's face turned towards the mirror, his eyes glassing over.

"I saw myself." He said plainly after a moment's hesitation, a pained look in his eye.

"Just yourself?" she asked, standing up on her own two feet, wishing she could have felt his touch, just to know what it would have felt like for to have been taken away.

"Is that not enough?" he asked, incredulous, like Alex wasn't understanding the full brunt of what he was seeing.

"No." she replied, staring back at the mirror, watching as her brothers waved back at her, Hal ruffling Decky's hair with a free hand, so at home with her little family. "It never is."

"D'you reckon this shows the future?" Tom said, gazing at the mirror with an expectant look in his eyes, dreaming of Allison's hand in his own.

"How can it?" Alex replied, earning her a strange look from the others. "I saw myself surrounded by my family, and I'm already dead." She said, looking towards the floor as another tear fell "And they can't even see me."

"Plus, Tom, most of those you named, they're gone as well." Hal said gently, far more sympathetic than Alex had been. "Whatever magic this may be, it's not possible to raise someone from the dead."

"That is quite right." Said a voice, making the trio turn in sync towards the owner. The sight that met there eye's made them all rather confused.

Standing before them, wearing a set of what looked like purple robes was an old man with waist length silvery hair and a beard to match, his twinkling blue eyes looking at them all from behind half moon spectacles. "There is no magic that allows the dead to walk again as they should. The gift of life is one not easily returned." He said, looking knowingly at Alex who was frantically wiping the tears from her face.

"Who are you?" Hal asked, being the only one who didn't seem too transfixed by this strange old mans appearance. "And what are you doing here?"

"My name is Albus Dumbledore." The man said "And this just so happens to be my school."

"School?" Alex echoed, looking at Dumbledore strangely. "The whole place is ruined; you'll have a job teaching anything here." She said, crossing her arms.

"Alex." Hal said warningly. "He's a ghost; One I'm assuming to have died in whatever it was that happened here, am I right?" Hal asked, looking at the Dumbledore.

"You seemed uncommonly wise for your youth." Dumbledore said, examining Hal with a curious gaze. "But I am assuming you are not what you seem."

"You assume correct." Hal replied coolly.

"But I am afraid you are wrong in your accusations." Dumbledore continued "Though I did die in this very building, I died not long before this disaster struck." He said with a strangely non-committal smile.

"And what did happen here?" Alex asked, looking around at the stone walls, wondering if it was cold down here, or if it smelt unpleasant. "Like I said, it's in ruins; you said it was a school."

"And it was" He replied, beginning to walk around the trio. "You stand, at this moment, in the dungeons of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardy." And this point Alex barked out a laugh.

"Witchcraft and Wizardry? Are you having a laugh?" she said, looking at Hal and Tom, hoping they found it as amusing as she did.

"This coming from the ghost who spends her time with a werewolf and a vampire?" the old man said with a kind smile. Alex was speechless. "There was a war not that long ago, fourteen years in fact, and it destroyed our noble school, decreased it to these ruin's you see before you. You should have seen her in her prime." Dumbledore said, placing his hand against the wall. "She really was, quite remarkable."

"How can there 'ave been a war fourteen years ago? I'd remember that, sir." Tom said awkwardly, clearly not wanting to disrespect this man as she shuffled his feet against the damp floor.

"Sir?" Alex asked with another bout of laughter.

"What?" Tom replied with a shrug. "It's polite."

"Tom does have a point, Mr Dumbledore." Hal said, holding up a finger to silence the two others. "A war that recent, we'd remember it, especially Alex, she grew up here."

"There are many worlds hidden inside the one we know." Dumbledore said looking at Hal. "And we both know that what happens in those worlds is best kept secret."

"I suppose, but still, why can Alex now see this place if, by what you're saying, it was hidden from humans?"

"Because, despite being the same as she was, Alex is no longer human, we can see parts of your world in the same way you can see parts of ours." He explained before turning to the mirror, seeming only to have noticed it there. "Ah. I see you have stumbled upon the Mirror of Erised." Hal nodded "I assume then, you have figured out by now what it does."

"It shows you what you want the most." Hal said blandly, receiving him and shocked look from Alex and a confused one from Tom. "Erised, it's desire backwards, written as though in a mirror. Honestly," he said, looking at their blank faces "Did neither of you read the inscription."

"No, quite frankly I was preoccupied with seeing my family and having them see me." Alex said, letting a fresh swarm of guilt stab away at Hal.

"Well, had you paid more attention you would have known what it said."

"What's it say, Hal?" Tom asked and Hal looked away from Alex.

"It says, 'I show not your face, but your hearts desire.' It's just written as a reflection is all."

"And how were we supposed to know that?" Alex asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Not all of us have century's worth of knowledge stacked away in our super human brains." She said and Hal looked at her incredulously.

"I don't have a super human brain, I just remember things in more detail and notice what others seem to overlook."

"Well, that's all well and good for you, but some of us are still getting used to the whole super power thing. I'm new to this, and I'm still very traumatized."

"So are there more of ya?" Tom asked politely "ghost's I mean, you said there was a war?"

"There are more ghosts in this castle than I think it know's about, but yes, there are more of me here." Dumbledore said with a smile "Their whereabouts, however, are unknown to me."

"We're right here, Professor." Said a new voice from apart of the room. Dumbledore didn't look up, but smiled all the same. "Wotcher, guys."

"Ah, Nymphadora, I should have known you would be interested in new company." Dumbledore said with a smile, his eyes twinkling.

Looking around, the trio saw the owner of the voice, a young, short woman with a heart-shaped face and bubblegum pink hair was stood by the window wearing a pair of heavily patched up jeans, a black t-shirt and a large, burgundy jacket. But she wasn't alone. Next to her stood a man, his face slightly lined from age, his hair streaked with grey. His clothing was tatty and heavily patched up, his face rather tired with three scratches scarring his skin.

"You're a-" Tom began, but the man cut him off.

"A werewolf. Yes, I am." He said inclining his head towards Tom. "My name is Remus Lupin and this is my wife, Nymphadora."

"Call me Tonks!" the pink haired girl cut in with a wink.

"But I thought Werewolves couldn't come back as ghosts." Tom said, looking questioningly at Hal who was still watching Dumbledore cautiously.

"In your world, perhaps not, but the magic in ours runs far deeper. We can either choose the path of death or wander the earth." Dumbledore said, looking at Tom.

"But why would you chose that life." it was Alex who spoke this time, looking at Tonks who looked no older than he was. "Why choose to stay here, why not move on and leave this behind."

"Because we have a son to watch over." Tonks said proudly "He's fourteen now, born just before the war. I wanted to watch him grow up, and then I'll be ready to go."

"And I couldn't let her stay alone." Alex nodded sombrely, imagining how hard it would be for her to move on without knowing her brothers were okay. "But you've got other motives for staying here, I'm guessing?" Lupin said, eyeing Alex tenderly.

She didn't respond with words, just nodded her head at the man.

"I suspected as such." He said.

"But you were in that painting." Alex said, indicating towards the pink haired girl who smiled proudly.

"We don't get visitors often." She said with a bright smile. "I wanted to scope you guys out, check you were alright."

Hal considered this for a moment, but then his face screwed up in concentration as he looked at the occupants of the room.

"But there was another one." He said to Tonks. "Another ghost I mean, a red-haired man." The woman laughed, clearly remembering something while the other ghosts smiled.

"That would be Fred." Lupin said, smiling nostalgically.

"A great young man." Dumbledore said with a smile. "You and he would get along very well." He said to Alex and knowing look in his twinkling eyes.

"What makes you say that?" Alex asked enquiringly.

The ghosts all shared a knowing look with one another, seeming to debate who it was that should speak.

"Let's just say, for the purpose of this conversation, that you're not the only one to have left a family behind." A knowing look passed between Lupin and Alex, a moment in which she realised how much she shared with these lost souls, those who wandered the Earth because they were too afraid to leave it behind just yet. There was business still to be finished.

"So why are you still here?" Hal said, turning to Dumbledore who was smiling kindly at Alex.

"Even in death I feel the need to watch over this school, and who knows, maybe one day it shall rise again." He said with a smile. "Now, I daresay you all have lives to be getting on with – Yes, even you Miss Millar." Dumbledore said, none of the room questioning how Dumbledore even knew her last name.

"But what will you all do?" Alex said "Just drift around a broken castle like a fart on a breeze." Hal winced slightly at Alex's way with words, but he distinctly heard Tonks whisper to Lupin 'I like her', making him smile at the floor.

"We'll leave eventually." Tonks said with a shrug "When there's nothing left to look forward to, but we still want to see our first grandchild." She said excitedly, smacking Lupin on the stomach.

"So this is goodbye then?" Tom asked, looking at each new face with a strange longing look, like he was losing his friends in these strangers.

"I guess so." Lupin concluded. "It's been great speaking to you all, and Alex, don't let yourself fade away." He said and she raised an eyebrow at him, but nodded anyway.

Soon the only ghost left was Dumbledore, who was looking at Hal, the two of them staring at one another.

"I apologise for cutting this meeting short." He said, more to Tom and Alex, "but I have a favour in which to ask you."

"What?" Hal said dubiously, eyeing the old man like he was some sort of wild animal.

"Destroy this mirror when you leave. The three of you stumbling upon it had proven it is not safe." He said mournfully.

"Destroy it!" Alex burst out. "Are you mad? This is the only way for me to see my family, and for Tom to see his friends!" she burst out, affronted by Dumbledore's request, but Dumbledore was looking at Hal still.

"That is why this mirror is possibly one the most dangerous object in our world. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible." He said, trying to catch Hal's eye, but the vampire was looking pointedly at the floor. "And so I ask you, save the world one more time. This mirror is a danger to both the living," he said, looking at sweet, naïve Tom. "And to the departed." He said softly, looking at the slightly hysteric Alex.

"But my family-." Alex began, her voice broken and weak.

"There is no spell that can reawaken the dead." He said ruefully and Alex's body slumped slightly.

No one spoke, the entire room empty of all sound aside from the soft lapping of water against the window. Hal was very conscious of Dumbledore's eyes still being on him, but why was this his decision. Was it because he was the only one who knew the severity of Dumbledore's words? For Hal could quite contently sit before this mirror for the rest of his long life, staring at the image that was stolen from him.

Without much thought, or even realising he had decided, Hal strode to the edge of the room, lifting up a stray piece of stone that lay on the floor, damp and slimy. Ignoring the questioning and horrified looks of his best friends, he stood before the mirror, taking in his appearance. This was the last time he would ever see his face, unless he didn't break the mirror, unless he left it here, in this dungeon in Scotland and let it live out its days in peace, waiting for the next unlucky passerby to stumble upon it.

He stared at his face for a brief second, drinking it in, before he let the rock fly, letting the tinkling sound of shattering glass fill the room. Now, stood before Hal was nothing more than an empty metal frame, the inscription meaningless without it's image.

"Thank you." Dumbledore said, inclining his head towards the vampire who was staring at the broken shards on the floor. "Now you'd best be on your way, I fear we've kept you long enough." He held his arm wide, indicating for the trio to leave through the door. Tom went first, bowing awkwardly to Dumbledore who smiled at him, followed quickly by Alex who gave an awkward little wave before disappearing into the dark passageway. "After you, Henry." Dumbledore said a spark in his eyes.

Hal was crouched on the floor, squatting above the shards of shattered mirror, his fingers prodding each one. As soon as he heard his name though, he jumped to attention, standing before Dumbledore, his face stoic.

"Thank you for allowing us to explore." Hal said with a polite bow "I never could resist an ancient ruin." Hal said with a forced smile.

"How old are you, Henry?" Dumbledore asked, looking at him with a innocent curiosity. "That is if you don't mind my asking. Age is after all a touchy subject."

"It's Hal." He said bluntly, but still polite "And though age is a touchy subject I don't see a large amount of time spent on this earth as shameful. I'm over five-hundred years old now."

"And that's quite impressive for one of you, is it not?" Dumbledore asked, and Hal looking quizzically at him, trying to unravel what it was he was implying.

"It is yes. Not many reach the two-hundred year old mark." He said and Dumbledore smiled.

"Then I expect you are very wise to the world, Hal." He said and Hal responded with a polite nod. "Then you should know that it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." He said, looking at Hal over the rim of his half-moon spectacles before he too, walked up the stairs.

Dumbfounded for a moment, Hal shook his thoughts clear and followed his fellows up the stairs, pausing only to shut the door, glancing once more at the shattered remains of the mirror he'd destroyed.

* * *

 

"Well, I don't know about you two" Alex said as they walked back across the hillside, the sun setting in front of them, pink light bleeding through the sky like ink on tissue paper. "But that was by far the weirdest bullshit I've ever come across." She said, stretching her arms above her head.

"I thought they were all dead nice." Tom said, scuffing his shoes on the grass as he walked, a sweet smile lighting up his features. "What d'you think, Hal?" He asked the vampire who started at the sound of his voice.

"I think that we've learned a lot about ourselves today, things we're unlikely to forget." He said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"You could say that again." Alex said with a smile. "Hey Tom, race ya!" she shouted childishly. Tom hardly got the chance to agree before Alex rent-a-ghosted about twenty-feet ahead of them laughing and smiling.

"Come on, Hal!" Tom shouted, already running to catch up with the cheerful ghost.

"I'll catch you up." He said, nodding at Tom who then sped off after Alex, shouting about 'unfair advantages' and 'ghost powers' before he too was out of Hal's earshot. With them both far enough away, Hal latched his fingers around the cool object in his pocket. Ignoring as the sharp edges sliced thin parts of his skin; Hal pulled the small shard out, holding it in his hand. The piece itself was no larger than his hand and only about a third of the width.

He stared into it, seeing the bleeding pink sky and the rolling hills behind him before he caught a glimpse of dark hair, pale skin and one hazel eye.

"It does not do to dwell on dreams." He said solemnly, staring at the snippet of his reflection he held in his hand, knowing that he had nothing to fear of Dumbledore's words. He was not human anymore. He had forgotten how to live a long time ago.


End file.
